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Deputy Chief, WH/SA Soc
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"SUBJECT IC/AMSPELL/Operationat . Te j

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OO AMSPELL Tour of Latin America
JP ACTION REQUIRED - REFERENCES
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_ WAVE 1448
HLBA 6911
BOGO 4332 ©
QUIT 5867
HEGA 2900
SAGO 6577 : :
SAGO 6595 : an °
LAPA 5550
HVCA 11,393

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1. SUMMARY. The Reference A. ANSPELL exhibit toured six
Latin American countries during a five-month period, February-June
1964. With the exception of Guayaquil and La Paz -- where excel-
lent resultS were achieved -- the tour was only moderately success-
ful, and must be classified a failure in Quito, Santiago and
Montevideo. According to ANSPELL, the total number of persons who
viewed the exhibit was 6,720, Another 2,792 persons reportedly
attended conferences at which the AMSPELL team gave talks on the
Reference A. exhibit and the: dangers..and..weaknesses..of-Castro-.
Communism. .Publicity was given the exhibit: by 34 newspapers (47
items), 30 radio stations, and six television stations. AMSPELL
estimated the TV audience ‘at 1,300,000. Sample clippings are
enclesed under separate cover. Reports from WH stations and the
WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL team lead us to conclude that the
tour was a moderate success that could have been much better if
if had been better organized and if the ANSPELL team had had more ‘ ,
experience. (On balance) we believe the tour was well worth the ~ vee,

approximately $12,000.00 KUBARK paid out. We do not, however, :

! believe it should be repeatéd in the foreseeable future in view
of the relative inexperience shown by the AMSPELL team on the
‘recent tour and the many difficulties encountered in trying to
organize the exhibit in the various cities.

. / CONTINUED /

Attachments: U/SC — OP ;
A. AMSPELL Statistical Repo —— = , ,
B. Misc. Press Clippings i (Geir. 4/8

a a Care TYPED pare osparcheo ||
DISTRIBUTION: 7 : . ,
3 ~ DC/WH/SA, w/attachs, u/sc ; 23 July 64 ; ;

UFGA-16,980

HEADQUARTERS MLE NUMBER

g 19-124-26-/3


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~ DISPSATOR £74800 AND NUMOER

CONTINUA non OF GUXSSIFICASION
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DISPATCS s E CRET | ces 16,950 a

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2. COLONBIA.

- ceca, Bogotit The AMSPELL team arrived in Bozata on 12 February
1964. but were unable to make contact with the local ANSPELL/AMDARB
contact until the next day. They were unable to get adequate advance
publicity and had trouble finding space for the exhibit. About 200,
‘persons attended .the exhibit, and AMSPELL conferences vere attended by
approximatelr 485° persons, fiunA=G911reported{ 1g -9's observations
on the local reaction to the tour, which he judged’ to be indifferent.
The ANSPELL teat freely. admitted to WAVE that the Bogota operation was
something less than successful, but “blamed the lack of advance prepara=
tions and the existence of an unfriendly press for their failure. It
should also be noted that the AMSPELL team was not on the best of terms
with some of the™local Cubans, and this fact probably had a good deal
to do with the poor showing. ot .

b. Medellin. The showing in Medellin was better. than in
Bogota. -The press was lukewarm but the director of the Caracol radio
station gave. them’ considerable publicity, and they were able to hold
the exhibit in | entral spot in the city. About 400 persons visited
the exhibit over “a period of three days, and 850 persons attended con=..

ferences given by the team. .

t a eo

c. Cali, The team received yood advance press pYay in Cali,

: which was perhaps one reason for the fact that the local Communist party
was also well prepared for their arrival. On the very first worning

of the exhibit, a large crowd of Communists tried to enter tne exhibit
with the obvious intention of starting trouble, and when they were a
locked out began to throw rocks and “stinkbombs" into the exhibit hall, 77
The incident provided considerable publicity for. AMSPBLL, as reported

in BOGO 4332, A total of 100 persons attended the exhibit. The AMSPELL
team claimed tnat the Communists were very strong in Cali and that work-
ing there was like swimming upstream, '

3, ECUADOR.

a. Quito. The team arrived in Quito on 25 March, after spend-
ing several days in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain visas for Peru.
QUIT 5867 reported the AMSPELL team's personality clashes with the
local AMBARBs. and the consequent poor performance by the AMSPELL team,
who complained of the absence of police protection, adequate facilities
for the exhibit, etc., and departed just two days later on the 27th.

One member remained in Bogota to hold conferences, attended by 325. .
persons, Whiie not accepting the blame for this fiasco, the AMSPELL ;
team generally corroborated the above story in their debriefing by WAVE.
After such incidents as reported in QUIT 5867, we are reluctant to
recommend any future tours, .

b. Guayaquil, The AMSPELL team considered Guayaquil their
most successftl operation, an opinion seconded by Guayaquil base. who

termed it. a “resounding success," (See QUIT 5867 and HEGA 2900). The
exhibit received front page coverage in "El Universo” and "El Telegrafo’,
and they were given a half hour on a major TV station, An estimated
total of 1,200 persons visited the exhibit, and the team spoke before
40 members of a local group, Frente de Defensa Nacional, :

4, Santiago, Chile.

The AMSPELL team arrived in Santiago on 5 March to coincide
with the opening of the Latin American Youth Congress (LAYC), The
Santiago operation was a complete loss because Chilean customs authori-
ties would not release the exhibit during the congress aod the AMSPELL
team was unable to obtain space of any kind to hold conferences due to
competition from the congress for space. (See SAGO 6577). The AMSPELL
team had been counting on a contact in the Catholic trarersity, (erhando
SANHUESA, |to facilitate their activities but (SANHLESA ft ld them that
the LAYC was a failure from the Communist side and that°the AMSPELL teas
could contribute more by remaining quiet than. by actively propagandizing

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against {and thereby calling attention to
Was that ‘the AMSPELL team did nothing,. An amateurish plan to kidnap.a
Cuban delegate. to tne LAYC as hostage -for political prisoners in Cuba
Was quickly ‘scotehed by the Station. (Sea SAGO 6595),

) -the congress, The end result

Ss. La Paz, Bolivia,
; ae... The AMSPELL team arrived in La Paz on 17 March, and aftor some
difficulty in obtaining space were finally able to open the exhibit
in Club La Paz on 21 March, As noted in LAPA 5550, exhibits and con=
ferences wore held in various locations ‘in tlie city, with the closing
performance on'25 March at the Scaln Theater hosted by the Venozue lan
ambassador, “The exhibit received excellent coverage in all four of the:
ead ing ‘La Paz: newspapers and. the three largest radio’ stations carried
AMSPELL conferences, Despite the excellent publicity, a total of only _
“600 persons visited the exhibit in La Paz, According to AMSPELL, ‘this *
was due to Bolivian preoccupation with such things as a national day ‘to
demand a Passage to the sea for Bolivia which stopped all traffic and-

communication, .

6. Argentina, : : t

: : LA . . 2 a

: a. Buenos Aires, ' Tho AMSPELL team

27 March during Holy Week, In addition to the delay caused by Holy Week
celebrations, -the team had difficulty finding space for the oxhibit,
With the help of the Chamber of Commerce, the. exhibit finally opened on .
6 April in Chamber of Commerce offices on Leandro Allen Street. An ~
estimated 1,200 persons visited the exhibit during a four-day period,
and good. publicity was. also obtained in the La:Prensa and La Razon
newspapers, The AMSPRLL group also obtained [0 minutes on Panorana
Mundial, Channel 7 TV, as part of a 30-minute program on Cuba and the
overthrow of Goulart in Brazil. According to AMSPELL, the Panorama.
program is rated as lraving 500,000 viewers, The AMSPELL team also held.

four conferences. before small groups of Rotarians and university student
“which were attended by a total of. 400 persons,

_arrived in Buenos Aires on

b. Rosario, ’The -AMSPELL team arrived in Rosario on 11 April
and opened the exhibit on 15 April, after the customary difficulties
of finding a site due to the lack of advance preparations, The local
Chamber of commerce finally came through with an excellent site, the
"Galeria Libertad", in the center of town, A total of 2,000 persons
visited the exhibit during the three days it was open, focal news-
papers (La Cronica, La Tribuna, La Capital) Gave good publicity to the
tour, The local radig.stations gave Spot announcements of the exhibit
but did not give any additional publicity, .

ce Cordoba, The AMSPELL team made a hurried trip to Cordoba,
where they were able to show the exhibit to an estimated 600 persons
during a three-day stay, 20~23 April. The local chamber of commerce
was again very helpful in arranging for Space for the exhibit and obtain
ing local press publicity, Good press coverage was obtained in los

Principios and Cordoba,

7. Montevideo, Uruguay. The AMSPELL team reported that Montevideo
was the worst performance of the entire ‘tour, with only twenty persons
attending the exhibit, They arrived on 26 April and after unsuccess—
fully attempting to obtain a site in a central location, felt obliged
to accept space in the Catholic Club, considered a center of reaction
by many Uruguayans and remote from the main thoroughfares, Despite
the poor reception and the lack. of good local contacts, a fair amount
of publicity was obtained in the local press and the AMSPELL team had
a One-hour show on the local TV channel 10,

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..9:May, having cut Brazil from the tour because of visa problems. Their
@arly arrival caught their local contacts unprepared and it’ was not
“until 16 May that the exhibit opened. Excellent support was provided

‘that local support was not always as. effoctive as in Caracas.

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ay. Caracas Venezuela. “The ANSPELL team arrived in Caitacas on

by station assets: and widespread publicity was given to the event,
However, the. exhibit was located in-a relativoly remote spot and onl
300. persons attended the exhibit, according to AMSPELL. (Tho Station
estimate was 400-500). Another 140 persons attonded ANSPELL con
forences. The station report (HVCA-11393) which has been corroborated
by the WAVE debrieting of the AMSPELL team, describes the typical
experience of the AMSPELL- team throughout the. tour with the exception.

. 9, Enclosed under separate cover 1s an AMSPELL statistical summary’
or the tour and press clippings from: the. countrd 6s visited,

Bee P Ue Ae +

ANDREW K, REUTEMAN

£S cory

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